Press release

Tue, Feb 26th 2013 05:25 pm

This week, ABC News will cover all
the pageantry and ceremonial events leading up to the Pope's
historic resignation. ABC News will provide extensive coverage on
"Good Morning America," "World News with Diane Sawyer,"
"Nightline," ABC News Radio and its digital platforms as Pope
Benedict XVI says farewell in Rome.

On Thursday,
Feb. 28, ABC News will broadcast two special reports to the ABC
Television Network at
approximately 5 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. ET, marking the final events of
Pope Benedict's papacy. George
Stephanopoulos will anchor from the Vatican. "Nightline"
co-anchor Terry Moran, David Wright, Ron Claiborne, Cokie Roberts and
ABC News Global Affairs anchor Christiane Amanpour will join
Stephanopoulos in
Rome. Wright covered the death of Pope John Paul II and the selection
of Pope Benedict XVI for ABC News in 2005. Cokie Roberts, whose
mother served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, will provide
historical perspective throughout ABC's coverage.

Stephanopoulos
will co-anchor "Good Morning America" from the Vatican on
Wednesday, Feb. 27, and Thursday, Feb. 28. Moran will anchor
"Nightline" from Rome on Wednesday and Thursday.

In
March, when the cardinal electors convene for the conclave to elect a
new pope, Diane
Sawyer will lead ABC News' coverage from Rome. More information on
ABC's coverage of the conclave will be announced in the coming
weeks.

ABC
News
Digital will provide complete, live-streamed coverage of the farewell
to Pope Benedict XVI beginning with the ABC News Special Report at 5
a.m., followed by live coverage of the Pope's departure from the
Vatican at approximately 10:45 a.m. Special live stream coverage will
be available throughout the day across ABCNews.com,
Yahoo! News, GoodMorningAmerica.com,
ABC News' iPad and iPhone apps, ABC affiliate websites, ABC News
Mobile properties, as well as on the ABC
News YouTube channel.
Editorial
content will include live blog updates, video
highlights
and
interactive slideshows featuring the top cardinal contenders,
factoids and embedded 3-D animations of the Vatican and the Sistine
Chapel.

ABC
News Radio will provide extensive coverage of the Pope's
resignation anchored by correspondent Aaron Katersky. He will be
joined by correspondent Tom Rivers reporting from Rome. ABC News
Radio will provide two one-minute status reports each hour from 5
a.m. through 3 p.m. on the resignation on Feb. 28 with the latest
updates throughout the day.

ABC
NewsOne, the network's affiliate news service, will provide full
coverage with live reports from Rome with ABC News correspondent Nick
Schifrin for more than 200 ABC affiliates, stations and clients.